Narrative:

As at most airports, the txwys and ramp areas have enclosed islands of grass all over the dfw airport since it opened. Over the last year, the islands east of the terminal 4E ramp have been paved, and the concrete is now continuous from the gates all the way to the east side of taxiway J (the inner). The blue taxiway edge lights along the west side of the inner taxiway were removed all the way across the ramp area. The east side of the paved area is still considered the inner, but the only lights are the originals along the east side of the taxiway. Inbound for a scheduled stop, it was dark on the ramp area and we were told by the ramp tower the we could proceed directly to our assigned gate, which we did by cutting across the large paved area. The appearance was quite different from the last time I saw it twelve months ago. The taxi instructions are also different now, too. If a flight is given standard taxi to a runway, the route to be used is specified on printed instructions issued to the air carrier pilots. This cuts down on the length of ground control's radio xmissions. Before pushback, my first officer and I reviewed the standard taxi instructions and a copy of a drawing showing hold lines and other feature of the ramp area. At pushback, I reviewed the standard taxi again. At disconnect, the ramp tower sent us to runway 28 to hold for ground control. The ramp was dark, there were yellow lights installed in the ramp surface that I was not familiar with, and runway 28 was hard to see. We found it (stumbled on to it) and, in turn, ground told us to turn left on the inner, turn right on runway 27, turn left on the outer and taxi to runway 17. The n-s txwys are not as well marked with signs as the e-w txwys, either--it is further between signs. I exited the ramp at runway 28, turned left on the outer (thought I was on the inner), turned right on 27, and entered runway 17R. The nose was well onto the runway when I realized the error. I had started a left turn, told the first officer to tell ground that we were on the runway, and saw an aircraft on the runway at the north end with its landing lights on. While the first officer was talking to ground, I taxied along the west edge of the runway while flashing the nose landing lights on and off in an effort to be as visible as possible to the other aircraft. Ground said, 'we've been watching you, the other aircraft had his takeoff clearance cancelled, turn left at the next taxiway,' or words to that effect. Remainder of taxi was routine. We thought we were prepared, but hindsight shows that we were not. The ramp area away from the gates is dark, the yellow lights in the ramp surface are a nonstandard color and confign, the painted stripes/markings are only visible if the aircraft taxi lights are on and the aircraft oriented to make the lights useful (pointed in the right direction). The west edge of the inner taxiway is not marked with any lights across the entire ramp area which makes the ramp/taxiway transition an estimate at best. There were a lot of aircraft departing our ramp area at this hour, and not having been there for a year compounded everything. Seeing it once in daylight would have helped immensely--what we saw at night seemed very different from our drawing. When I turned north on the outer, in my mind I was on the inner, so the turn on 27 seemed entirely normal and nothing seemed out of place. The white runway lights were on and should have shouted 'stop,' but mentally I was approaching the outer, not a runway, and I remember paying attention to keeping the aircraft (which is long) near the middle of the txwys. The single most helpful change that could be made would be the reinstallation of the blue taxiway edge lights along the west side of the inner taxiway (the original lights along the east side are still in place). This would also define the east edge of the ramp area. Having the taxiway/ramp boundary defined would preclude leaving the ramp area with an incorrect idea of which taxiway the aircraft is actually on (as I did). It would also be much easier to determine if one is on the taxiway or on the ramp, and should avoid conflicts between traffic in the 2 areas. It is by no means obvious at night.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MLG TAXIED ONTO ACTIVE RWY IN FACE OF ANOTHER MLG ON TKOF.

Narrative: AS AT MOST ARPTS, THE TXWYS AND RAMP AREAS HAVE ENCLOSED ISLANDS OF GRASS ALL OVER THE DFW ARPT SINCE IT OPENED. OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE ISLANDS E OF THE TERMINAL 4E RAMP HAVE BEEN PAVED, AND THE CONCRETE IS NOW CONTINUOUS FROM THE GATES ALL THE WAY TO THE E SIDE OF TXWY J (THE INNER). THE BLUE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS ALONG THE W SIDE OF THE INNER TXWY WERE REMOVED ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE RAMP AREA. THE E SIDE OF THE PAVED AREA IS STILL CONSIDERED THE INNER, BUT THE ONLY LIGHTS ARE THE ORIGINALS ALONG THE E SIDE OF THE TXWY. INBND FOR A SCHEDULED STOP, IT WAS DARK ON THE RAMP AREA AND WE WERE TOLD BY THE RAMP TWR THE WE COULD PROCEED DIRECTLY TO OUR ASSIGNED GATE, WHICH WE DID BY CUTTING ACROSS THE LARGE PAVED AREA. THE APPEARANCE WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST TIME I SAW IT TWELVE MONTHS AGO. THE TAXI INSTRUCTIONS ARE ALSO DIFFERENT NOW, TOO. IF A FLT IS GIVEN STANDARD TAXI TO A RWY, THE ROUTE TO BE USED IS SPECIFIED ON PRINTED INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED TO THE ACR PLTS. THIS CUTS DOWN ON THE LENGTH OF GND CTL'S RADIO XMISSIONS. BEFORE PUSHBACK, MY F/O AND I REVIEWED THE STANDARD TAXI INSTRUCTIONS AND A COPY OF A DRAWING SHOWING HOLD LINES AND OTHER FEATURE OF THE RAMP AREA. AT PUSHBACK, I REVIEWED THE STANDARD TAXI AGAIN. AT DISCONNECT, THE RAMP TWR SENT US TO RWY 28 TO HOLD FOR GND CTL. THE RAMP WAS DARK, THERE WERE YELLOW LIGHTS INSTALLED IN THE RAMP SURFACE THAT I WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH, AND RWY 28 WAS HARD TO SEE. WE FOUND IT (STUMBLED ON TO IT) AND, IN TURN, GND TOLD US TO TURN LEFT ON THE INNER, TURN RIGHT ON RWY 27, TURN LEFT ON THE OUTER AND TAXI TO RWY 17. THE N-S TXWYS ARE NOT AS WELL MARKED WITH SIGNS AS THE E-W TXWYS, EITHER--IT IS FURTHER BTWN SIGNS. I EXITED THE RAMP AT RWY 28, TURNED LEFT ON THE OUTER (THOUGHT I WAS ON THE INNER), TURNED RIGHT ON 27, AND ENTERED RWY 17R. THE NOSE WAS WELL ONTO THE RWY WHEN I REALIZED THE ERROR. I HAD STARTED A LEFT TURN, TOLD THE F/O TO TELL GND THAT WE WERE ON THE RWY, AND SAW AN ACFT ON THE RWY AT THE N END WITH ITS LNDG LIGHTS ON. WHILE THE F/O WAS TALKING TO GND, I TAXIED ALONG THE W EDGE OF THE RWY WHILE FLASHING THE NOSE LNDG LIGHTS ON AND OFF IN AN EFFORT TO BE AS VISIBLE AS POSSIBLE TO THE OTHER ACFT. GND SAID, 'WE'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU, THE OTHER ACFT HAD HIS TKOF CLRNC CANCELLED, TURN LEFT AT THE NEXT TXWY,' OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT. REMAINDER OF TAXI WAS ROUTINE. WE THOUGHT WE WERE PREPARED, BUT HINDSIGHT SHOWS THAT WE WERE NOT. THE RAMP AREA AWAY FROM THE GATES IS DARK, THE YELLOW LIGHTS IN THE RAMP SURFACE ARE A NONSTANDARD COLOR AND CONFIGN, THE PAINTED STRIPES/MARKINGS ARE ONLY VISIBLE IF THE ACFT TAXI LIGHTS ARE ON AND THE ACFT ORIENTED TO MAKE THE LIGHTS USEFUL (POINTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION). THE W EDGE OF THE INNER TXWY IS NOT MARKED WITH ANY LIGHTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE RAMP AREA WHICH MAKES THE RAMP/TXWY TRANSITION AN ESTIMATE AT BEST. THERE WERE A LOT OF ACFT DEPARTING OUR RAMP AREA AT THIS HOUR, AND NOT HAVING BEEN THERE FOR A YEAR COMPOUNDED EVERYTHING. SEEING IT ONCE IN DAYLIGHT WOULD HAVE HELPED IMMENSELY--WHAT WE SAW AT NIGHT SEEMED VERY DIFFERENT FROM OUR DRAWING. WHEN I TURNED N ON THE OUTER, IN MY MIND I WAS ON THE INNER, SO THE TURN ON 27 SEEMED ENTIRELY NORMAL AND NOTHING SEEMED OUT OF PLACE. THE WHITE RWY LIGHTS WERE ON AND SHOULD HAVE SHOUTED 'STOP,' BUT MENTALLY I WAS APCHING THE OUTER, NOT A RWY, AND I REMEMBER PAYING ATTN TO KEEPING THE ACFT (WHICH IS LONG) NEAR THE MIDDLE OF THE TXWYS. THE SINGLE MOST HELPFUL CHANGE THAT COULD BE MADE WOULD BE THE REINSTALLATION OF THE BLUE TXWY EDGE LIGHTS ALONG THE W SIDE OF THE INNER TXWY (THE ORIGINAL LIGHTS ALONG THE E SIDE ARE STILL IN PLACE). THIS WOULD ALSO DEFINE THE E EDGE OF THE RAMP AREA. HAVING THE TXWY/RAMP BOUNDARY DEFINED WOULD PRECLUDE LEAVING THE RAMP AREA WITH AN INCORRECT IDEA OF WHICH TXWY THE ACFT IS ACTUALLY ON (AS I DID). IT WOULD ALSO BE MUCH EASIER TO DETERMINE IF ONE IS ON THE TXWY OR ON THE RAMP, AND SHOULD AVOID CONFLICTS BTWN TFC IN THE 2 AREAS. IT IS BY NO MEANS OBVIOUS AT NIGHT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.